Egypt climbed five places in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Entrepreneurship Index 2025/2026, ranking 35th out of 53 economies while retaining its position as North Africa’s leading entrepreneurship ecosystem for the fifth consecutive year, according to a report released by the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC).
The report, titled Egypt in International Indicators: From Challenges to Achievements, attributed the country’s continued progress to improvements in financing, infrastructure, and cultural support for entrepreneurs, as well as government measures aimed at strengthening the startup ecosystem and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
According to the report, Egypt improved from 40th place in the 2024/2025 edition of the index to 35th in 2025/2026. The GEM Entrepreneurship Index evaluates entrepreneurship ecosystems across 53 economies using 13 key indicators that measure countries’ ability to support entrepreneurial activity.
The report also highlighted Egypt’s progress in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index, where the country climbed 16 positions over the past six years to rank 65th globally among 118 countries in 2026.
Cairo continued to dominate Egypt’s startup landscape, accounting for nearly 90% of all startups nationwide, with around 632 startups. The capital is also home to Egypt’s only unicorn startup and recorded annual ecosystem growth of 0.7% in 2025.
The IDSC attributed Egypt’s improving entrepreneurial performance to several structural advantages, including a domestic market of more than 110 million people, a growing pool of highly skilled graduates, expanding digital infrastructure, and stronger government support for SMEs.
The report noted that nearly 47% of Egyptians who are not currently entrepreneurs expressed an intention to start a business within the next three years, reflecting strong entrepreneurial ambitions.
It also highlighted Cairo’s growing attractiveness to investors, particularly in fintech and transportation technology, supported by an increase in investment deals and the continued expansion of digital financial services and financial inclusion initiatives.
On the policy front, the report outlined a range of government measures designed to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem. These include the implementation of the SME Development Law No. 152 of 2020, requirements for banks to allocate at least 25% of their credit portfolios to SMEs, the establishment of dedicated SME banking divisions, and government procurement policies reserving at least 40% of public contracts for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
The report also noted that Egypt has expanded support for women entrepreneurs through dedicated initiatives and invested nearly EGP 300bn over the past five years in programmes related to education, healthcare, social protection, and employment benefiting women.
In addition, the report highlighted several initiatives supporting startups and innovation, including technology incubators, the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ MOYS Sports Technology Incubator, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s Creativa Innovation Centres, and the Digital Egypt Pioneers initiative, which aims to equip students and graduates with advanced digital skills.
According to the report, the government aims to support up to 5,000 startups, create approximately 500,000 direct and indirect jobs, attract $5bn in venture capital investment, and further integrate entrepreneurship into Egypt’s Vision 2030 strategy for sustainable economic growth.
